Robinhood's trading hours depend on the market and the type of security

U.S. stock markets open at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time on weekdays and close at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Robinhood lets you trade during these hours. Outside these times, you can place orders during extended hours — before the market opens (4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. ET) and after it closes (4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET) — though with lower volume and wider price swings.

Cryptocurrency trades 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on Robinhood, with no market hours at all. Options follow stock market hours: 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET on weekdays. Markets are closed on weekends and on U.S. federal holidays, even though crypto continues to trade.

The times listed above are Eastern Time. If you are in a different time zone, you will need to convert: Pacific Time is 3 hours behind, Central is 1 hour behind, and Mountain is 2 hours behind Eastern.

Key Takeaways

  • U.S. stock and options markets open at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time and close at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on weekdays only.
  • Robinhood offers extended-hours trading from 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. ET before the market opens and from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET after it closes, though with thinner trading and wider spreads.
  • Cryptocurrency on Robinhood trades around the clock, every day of the week, with no market hours.
  • Markets close on weekends and U.S. federal holidays, but crypto continues to trade on those days.

What happens during extended-hours trading

Extended-hours sessions let you trade before 9:30 a.m. or after 4:00 p.m., but the conditions are different from regular market hours. Fewer traders are active, so the bid-ask spread — the gap between what buyers will pay and what sellers will accept — widens. A stock might trade at $50.00 during the day but have a spread of $49.80 to $50.30 in the pre-market, meaning you pay more to buy and receive less to sell.

Volume is also much lower. Large orders can move prices more easily, and you may not be able to fill an order at all if there are no buyers or sellers on the other side. Robinhood allows pre-market trading from 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. ET and after-hours trading from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET. You do not need to do anything special to access these windows — they are available in the app during those times.

Why market hours matter for your trades

Most price movement and trading volume happen during regular market hours, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. This is when company earnings are announced, economic data is released, and most traders are active. If you place a trade during regular hours, you are more likely to get the price you see on screen and to fill your order quickly.

If you trade during extended hours, you are taking on extra risk. News that breaks overnight or early morning will not be reflected in pre-market prices until the regular session opens. You might buy a stock at 5:00 a.m. based on yesterday's close, only to have it gap down 10% when the market opens and traders react to overnight news. The same applies to after-hours trading — prices can move sharply once the regular session begins the next day.

How federal holidays affect Robinhood trading

U.S. stock and options markets close on federal holidays, and Robinhood follows the same schedule. Markets are closed on New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. On these days, you cannot trade stocks or options, and extended-hours sessions do not run.

Cryptocurrency markets, however, remain open on federal holidays. You can buy and sell crypto on Robinhood on any day of the year, including holidays and weekends. If you rely on crypto trading as part of your strategy, remember that the lack of a close means prices can move at any time without the reset that a market close provides.

Time zone conversion for Robinhood traders

Robinhood uses Eastern Time for all market hours, regardless of where you live. If you are on the West Coast, the market opens at 6:30 a.m. Pacific Time and closes at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time. If you are in the Central Time Zone, the market opens at 8:30 a.m. Central and closes at 3:00 p.m. Central. Mountain Time is 2 hours behind Eastern, so the market opens at 7:30 a.m. Mountain and closes at 2:00 p.m. Mountain.

Extended-hours trading times also shift by your time zone. Pre-market on the West Coast runs from 1:00 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Pacific, and after-hours runs from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific. Setting a reminder on your phone for the Eastern Time open and close can help you avoid missing the market if you are not in that zone.

What to do if you want to trade outside market hours

If you cannot trade during regular market hours, extended-hours trading is your option for stocks and options. Remember that you will face wider spreads, lower volume, and more price volatility. Place limit orders rather than market orders — a limit order lets you set the price you are willing to pay or accept, protecting you from a bad fill during thin trading.

If extended hours do not work for your schedule, cryptocurrency is available 24/7 on Robinhood. Crypto is more volatile than stocks and does not have the same regulatory protections, but it trades whenever you want to trade. You can also simply wait for the next regular market session if your trade is not urgent — most traders find that the risks of extended-hours trading outweigh the benefit of trading a few hours early or late.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I trade stocks on Robinhood at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time?

Yes, but only during pre-market extended hours. The regular market does not open until 9:30 a.m. ET. Pre-market trading runs from 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. ET, so you can trade at 8:00 a.m., though with wider spreads and lower volume than you would see after 9:30 a.m.

Does Robinhood trade on weekends?

Stocks and options do not trade on weekends. Cryptocurrency trades 24/7, including weekends, so you can buy and sell crypto on Saturday and Sunday on Robinhood, but you cannot trade stocks or options until Monday at 4:00 a.m. ET (pre-market).

What time does the market close on Fridays?

The stock market closes at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Fridays, the same as any other weekday. After-hours trading runs until 8:00 p.m. ET on Friday. The market does not reopen until Monday at 4:00 a.m. ET for pre-market trading.

Can I place an order on Robinhood when the market is closed?

Yes, you can place orders anytime in the Robinhood app. However, the order will not execute until the market is open or during extended-hours sessions if you have that enabled. If you place a regular market order after 8:00 p.m. ET on a Friday, it will sit until Monday morning at 9:30 a.m. ET when the regular session opens.

Why is my crypto order not filling at night?

Even though crypto trades 24/7, your order might not fill if the price you set is too far from the current market price. Check the current bid and ask prices in the app and adjust your limit order closer to the market. Crypto can have lower liquidity at certain times, especially very late at night or early morning.